Consultancy Services On Reserach And Production of African Human Development Report 2015 (2 positions)

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Application Deadline :

25-Jul-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Additional Category :

Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Post Level :

National Consultant

Languages Required :

English French

Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)

30-Jul-2014

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 Months (Renewable)

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 Months

Background

UNDP works to advance gender equality and empower women as agents of change and leaders in the development processes that shape their lives towards a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient world. Gender equality and women’s empowerment is integrated in the organisation’s work in promoting sustainable development pathways, inclusive and effective governance systems and resilience building. This second Regional Human Development Report on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality in Africa builds on the success of the first Africa Human Development Report (2012) on a Food Secure Future for Africa that advocated for sustainable increases in agricultural productivity and better nutrition as drivers of growth and human development. The analysis highlighted the importance of building resilience, empowerment, social justice and gender as critical elements of the transformative change required for food security. It made the case for clear linkages between expanding women’s capabilities and enhancing food security including empowering women in agriculture by addressing unequal control of productive assets, time use and access to justice and markets.

This report intends to provide intellectually independent, empirically grounded analysis of development issues, trends, progress and policies in order to help advance human development. HDRs are based on the premise that “people are the real wealth of a nation” using empirical data to impact policies that enlarge people's choices and create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives or simply to “advance the richness of human life, rather than the richness of the economy in which human beings live” (Amartya Sen). Today, more people are healthier, live longer, are more educated, have more access to goods and services and more power to select leaders, influence public decisions and share knowledge. Yet much more remains to be done in expanding choices and improving well-being for all people in all countries and communities, and for generations yet to come.

The selected individual consultants are expected to contribute to background research, production and finalisation of the report including preparation of relevant summaries, fact checking, formatting as well as preparing graphics, bibliographies and statistical tables.The consultants will also support the peer review and consultative processes for the report .

Objectives of the report

This African Human Development Report aims:

To establishes the links between Sustainable Human Development, women empowerment and gender equality in Africa;

To use existing and newly generated research, to provide evidence and demonstrate the intrinsic value of gender equality with a focus beyond economic aspects to social and environmental gains;

To explore political, social and structural constraints to globally and nationally identified goal and targets while showcasing lessons learned from successes and failures in the African context;

To provide policy recommendations that would lead to fundamental changes in policies, institutions, incentives, ideas and social processes to achieve Africa’s transformative vision.

Partnership

The Report will be prepared over a period of 18 months through a consultative process, using new and existing empirical research produced by a team of UNDP in-house experts led by UNDP Africa working in close collaboration with the Policy Bureau, leading scholars and development practitioners.

Timeline of the report preparation and finalization

Given the scope and dimensions of the report, the preparation and finalisation of the report is expected to take place over a period of 12 months, with the engagement of two consultants to provide research and production support to the consolidation of inputs and finalisation the report.The initial duration of the assignment is 6 months. Based on the results of the first 6-month period, the work can be extended further. During this period, each of the consultants will be based at the UNDP RBA offices in New York and will be required to assist in support to communication within the AfHDR team and the preparation for stakeholders’ consultations.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultants will work closely with the Regional Bureau for Africa ,Senior Strategic Advisor and the Strategic Advisor working on the AfHDR. They will be available to (a) carry out research and analysis and (b) provide statistical technical backstopping for the preparation and finalisation of the second Regional Human Development Report. The research analyst will be responsible for carrying out complementary research in selected areas and preparing summary findings from the background research. The statistical analyst will provide statistical analysis and prepare the statistical annex for the report. Both analysts will contribute the consolidation and finalisation of the report following the standards and deadlines set by UNDP.

Two Individual consultants/contractors will be recruited to undertake these assignments.

Task 1: Research Analyst

Prepare short notes summarizing key recent findings from available academic publications on selected themes in close consultation with the AfHDR team and inputs to selected chapters;

Prepare summaries of the findings from commissioned background papers;

Assist with formatting, preparation of the bibliography, graphics and tables including the preparation of selected presentations;

Proofreading and fact checking of the different draft versions;

Support the communication with commissioned experts and support them in the finalization of the background research.

Deliverables

Short notes highlighting the findings from recent research and commissioned work;

Strong quantitative skills and demonstrated capacity to perform outstanding original research including statistical analysis and data mining;

Fully literate in terms of software and e-networking.

Language Skills:

Excellent written and oral English communications skills. Fluency in any of other UN Languages spoken in Africa would be an added advantage; and

Documents to be included when submitting the proposal:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications: Please a completed P11 form along with other documents listed below;

Technical proposal

Provide brief information on similar tasks implemented over the past 5 to 10 years with concrete experience from Africa and other regions - a maximum 500 words-long. Evidence of key deliverables and results could be attached to the document;

Filled the P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (Blank form can be downloaded fromhere .

Financial proposal

Indicate the All-inclusive daily fee

The assignments will be delivered concurrently by two consultants within 12 months. All individual consultants must follow this schedule when submitting their financial proposal. All financial proposals should be submitted separately to this email address rba.procurement@undp.org no later than 25 July 2014. The template for the Financial Proposal can be downloaded from here.

Please Note: The total working days per month are estimated to be 21.75 days. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. professional fee, and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services.)

Payment Modality:

Monthly upon satisfactory submission of monthly progress reports

Travel:

Successful consultants must be able to travel to facilitate consultations in countries based on demand if required. When such a request comes, the organization shall bear the cost of travel including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses based on extant policies and rules.Should the Individual Consultant (IC) wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. Evaluation Criteria:

Candidates will be assessed based on the following technical criteria:

Technical Evaluation (70%):

Evaluation of the P11 including educational attainment, relevance of past working experiences, sound knowledge of poverty and inequality analyses and African development issues (35 points);

Quality and relevance of similar tasks undertaken in the past with concrete results (35 points);

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 per cent of the total technical scores will be considered for the Financial Evaluation; and

Financial Evaluation (30%): (if the professional fee should be based on the understanding that there are 21.75 working days in a month. The fee should be quoted in US dollar only.

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: p = y (μ/z),

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

μ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

The final evaluation method will be based on a cumulative analysis of both the technical and financial proposals.

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultants whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

General Terms and Conditions of Contract for the Services of an Individual Contractor can be downloaded from here

Others:

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. Payments will be made only upon confirmation by UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

If you are experiencing difficulties with online job applications, please contact jobs.help@undp.org.